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And, at the ending, I was bawling because a side character with cancer that has spread (part of the "feel-good" ending) upset me because my mom has cancer & is not doing well lately as we head into the Christmas season.

I'm so sorry.

"Ree-bee," Mom to former United States Marine ds and math teacher DIL * artist dd 20 * motion-loving ds 17 * piano-playing ds 12 "For Miss Minnie loved children and she loved books, and she taught merely by introducing the one to the other." from "A Consent," by Wendell Berry

Hello, ladies! I finished A Study in Scarlet and started the next in the series, The Sign of the Four. I'm really loving Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's style of writing! Am I the only person in the world that didn't know Sherlock Holmes had a drug issue??

Stacia, I am so sorry you are going through this. Praying for you during this difficult journey.

I actually came back here again to pose a question to the group, if you don't mind! Have any of you read Ursula Le Guin? I haven't so am hoping to pick the brains of my reading friends! I understand that she has some short fiction, and am wondering if any of you have familiarity with that. I was hoping to find a recommendation or two if so. Anyone have thoughts?

I am truly sorry, Stacia. I will be thinking of you often as this month unfolds. Hugs to you, my friend!

Michele, I second News of the World. I really liked it and even read it to my kids.

I finished the first book in the Lady Julia Grey series and have moved on to the second book. These books remind me of the books written by Anne Perry and Elizabeth George; they are slow moving and then about 3/4s in you get slapped in the face with something unimaginable and, most times, icky. It has been a long time since I have read Perry or George so I'm in a place where I can handle this style again.

I read Swing Time by Zadie Smith this week. It started out good and then fell apart soon thereafter. I was disappointed. There has been a lot of buzz about this book but it did not reach my expectations at all.

Julia, I read another book by her a few years ago and didn't like it at all.

Originally Posted by Rebe

Negin, what exactly is a book ship? An extremely large aquatic bookmobile?? That looks very exciting!
Glad to see your detailed review of the Irving Stone book. If I was to read one, it would be Lust for Life -- but the length is daunting! I do love art history, though...

Rebe, the book ship used to come here every year, but it hasn't been here in about seven years. It's Christian-based. They go around the world selling books.
You might like "Lust for Life." I'm thinking of it for myself. I think that it's much shorter than "The Agony".

Originally Posted by Michele

Good morning bibliophiles. Sorry that I haven't posted but I've been really busy and..having a difficult time carving out reading tie for myself (and not reading solely books to discuss with my teens for school). IF anyone has any suggestions, please. I need to make a change. At some level I seem to feel that I can read only after absolutely EVERYTHING (and not just my list for the day) is checked. I've been reading Moby Dick and Watership Down with a sprinkling of Dorian Gray. I am determined to read something for myself this week so..crossing my fingers. I have the latest Elizabeth Berg book for one. more. day so perhaps...

Michele, these days it seems that the only time that I read is in bed right before I sleep. I also nap most afternoons for an hour or so. I read right before that also. It works out to a total of about 45 minutes to an hour a day. I hope that you soon find time for yourself to read.

Originally Posted by Vicki P in VA

I am going to be in binge reading mode in a few more weeks, and then I'll have something more to share.

Vicki, how lovely! Something nice to look forward to.

Originally Posted by Stacia

my mom has cancer & is not doing well lately as we head into the Christmas season. Perhaps I was feeling particularly vulnerable, though, because I was quite sick by the middle of the night & feel physically horrible today. Bah. Humbug!

Stacia, I'm so very sorry.

Originally Posted by Jessica in WV

Am I the only person in the world that didn't know Sherlock Holmes had a drug issue??

No, you're not.

"There is no peace that cannot be found in the present moment." - Tasha Tudor

Vicki -interesting how you should ask about Ursula le Guin -- I've never read her, either, but my sister loves her work! Someone mentioned her for my Am. Lit book club, but I need to do some reading to see.

I read an interesting book this week The Family Nobody Wanted -- My mom read this book to us when I was a child, and I've wanted to get it to give to a friend of mine who has adopted children of mixed race. It's probably been close to 30 years since my read it, so it was a great read for me. It was quick and easy, but definitely made me stop and think a bit. It's a true story that starts off in the late 1930s and then moves through the early '50s. It chronicles a couple's struggle to have children, figure out what to do with their lives, and then how they started an adoption journey and discovered the children "nobody wanted" (especially in the '40s) -- children of mixed race -- and how they kept adding to their family. It's nothing life-shattering, but it was a good read